The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-02-23

tics are watching David with increased sus-
uiciou. thcy see him standing by the door
running his hands faeaninglessy up and
down the paucls-scrabbling on the door as
though be would climb up, his mouth wide
open. dr0oliug ike an infant. | suppose the
boys " the streets threw missiles az him; but
the sober people OF the town said: This Is
not fair DO ypu NOT soc that he has lost his
reason4 DO not touch this mailman. Hands
Off hand5 ofgl7 So David escaped; but what
an exhibition lie made of himself before all
the ages. There was majesty in KING
Ienr's Madness after Regain ard GOnerill, his
daughters, had persuaded him to Danish
their sister Cordolia, and all the friends
Of the drama have been filed with that
spectacule. The craziness Of Meg Mer-
rifles was weird and imposing, and the most
telling passage in Walter SCOTS Guy Man
nering." There was n fascination about the
insanity of Alexander Cruden, who made the
best concordance Of the Bible that the world
over sav-made it between the mad houses
Some time ago. while / was visiting the in
sane.asylum on Blackwen's island, dement,
ed woman came up To me and said, in most
tragic style;
tiad moves In "a mysterious way
Ills wonders 10 perform;
Tie plants Fl lis footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.
But there was nothing grand, nothing
weird, nothing majestic, nothing sublime
about this stimulation on the part Of David.
Instead Of trusting in the Lord, as he had ON
other occasions, he gathers before him n vast
audience Of all generations that were to
come, aud standing on that conspicuous stage
of history, ia the presence of all the ages, he
impersonates the slavering idiot. "And he
changed his behavior before them, and
III. 10 ri
scrabbled at the door Of the gate, and let his
spittle fall down upon his beard"
Taking the behavior of David as a sug
gestion, / wish to tell You how many of the
wise. and the brave, and the regal sometimes
play tho fool And in the first place, re-
mark TINT those men rs badly play the fool as
this man of the text, who in any crisis of life
tal,o their case out of the hand of God
David i'm this case, acted as though there
were no God to lift him out of the predica-
ment What contrast between his be-
havior. when this brave little man stood up in
front OF the wiant ten feet in height and look
ing into his face, said: "Thou contest to me
with n sword, and with spear, and with
shield. but I come TO thee in the name of the
Lord Of Hosts, the God Of the armies of
Israel whom thou hast detied. This day
will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand,
/
from thee. and win give the carcasses of the
hosts Of the Philstines this day unto the
fowls Of the air. and TO the wild beasts of the
earth. that all the earth may know that there
is a Col in Israeli between that time and
this time. whom he debased himself, and be-
draprlcl his manhood and affected insanity
i'm order that be might escape from the grip
of the Gathites. In the one case he played
the hero In the other case he played the fool.
SO does every man who, in the great crisis of
life. takes his ease out of the hand of God. The
life Of the most insignificant man in this house
is too vast for any human management One
time. returning from the west, | very easily
got on the locomotive while passing over the
plains, and talked with the engineer; but
coming on toward the Allegheny mountains,
| thought / would like TO sit on the locomo-
tive as it came down from the mountains
amid that most wonderful scenery on this
continent / asked the engineer if l might
ride, but he courteously denied me,
for thcrc the grade is so steep, and
SO winding, aud so perilous. that he must
not have any ono on the locomotive who
NAV divert his attention when eye, and hand,
and foot and brain must be concentrated,
ready for the most sudden emergency. Well,
my friends. life is so steep, and 50 perilous,
and so exposed 10 sudden surprises, that none
but the Lord Almighty can guide and en-
eineer II. and our disasters come from the
fact that We want to get up and help the
Lord to manage the train. Keep of the en-
ginei BE wiling TO let God pull you where
he wants to pull you. You have noright for
IN instant to surrender your sanity and man
hood as David surrendered his. Put your
trust in God, Is he win take you through
and over the mountains. / very much
oil nj
that were ever carried on, and all the success
full lives that have ever been lived, have been
fully surrendered TO God. When tho girl
Victoria was awakened i'm the night and told
that the throne OF Great Britain was hers,
she said to the prclate informing her: II ask
your prayers" and then and there they knelt
down aud prayed Do You wonder that
though since that time all the thrones OF
Europe have fallen or been fearfully shaken
hers stands as firm rs the day she assembled
it, and IN every country under the
sun wherever an Englishman hears that
name pronounced, he feels like waving
his bat and cry ing. God save the Queen!f
That man and that woman, who put their
trust in God, win 50 through in triumphi
while those who attempt 20 gather under
their own supervision the intricate and elab-
crate affairs of their life are iniserably play
ing the fool l stood ON the beach looking
off upon the sea; and there was a strong
wind blowing, and l noticed that some Of
the vessels were going that way, and
other vessels were going another way said
60 myself: "How is it that the same wind
sends one vessel in one direction and
another vessel in another dircctionsn found
out by looking, that it was the different
way they had the sails set And 50 does
trouble come on this world. Some men il
drives into the harboI- Of helven and other
men it drives on the rocks. IL depends upon
the way you have yonr sails SIT. All the At
lantic and Pacific oceans OF surging sorrow
cannot sink a soul that has asked for Gods
pilofage. The difficulty is that when we
have misortnnes CT any kind we put them in
Gods hand, and they stay there little
while; and then We 70 and get them again
and bring them back. A vessel comes in
from a foreign port AZ it comes near the
hnrbor il sees pilot floating about II
halls the pilot. The pilot comes ON board, and
he says: Now, captain, you have had q
stormy passage. Go down and sleep, and
wiz take the vessel down into New York har
bor-n After awhile the captain begins te
think: Am right in trusting this vessel tc
that pilotl guess III go up and see So hf
comes 10 the pilot and says: Don't you SCI
that rocka Don't you see those headlands
You viii wreck the ship Let me lay hold
the helm for awhile for myself, and then III
trust to you-r Tho pilot becomes angry, and
says: Il win either take care Of this ship on
not If you want TO, win ret into my yawl
and 20 ashore, or back to my boat Now VIC
say to the Lord: 90, God, take my life, take
my all in Thy keepingl Be Thou INV guide
be Thou my pilot We go along for a LITTLE
while, and suddenly wake up and say,
lsf-hfnre ara poin~ all WRONG n Lord x,rx